The Cherokee Purple tomato is an heirloom rumored to have originated from the Cherokee tribe. Many gardeners would identify Cherokee Purple as the gateway heirloom leading them into their heirloom gardening addiction and it's easy to understand why. These beautiful, uniquely colored, bursting-with-flavor tomatoes bring to attention the striking lack of diversity and absence of flavor that is our current selection of grocery store tomatoes. With their deeply rich, sweet, and subtly smoky flavor, Cherokee Purple tomatoes are renowned by chefs and tomato connoisseurs alike. Introduced to Seed Savers Exchange in 1990, this now famous heirloom burst onto the scene with very little info in the way of historical provenance. The seeds had been collected by John D. Green of Sevierville, Tennessee, who had received them from a woman who, in turn, had received them from a neighbor. They had reportedly been grown by the neighbor's family for more than 100 years and the seeds were originally of Cherokee origin. Cherokee Purple's easy-to-grow, vigorous plants produce an abundance of deep purple tomatoes weighing up to one pound each. Their juicy interiors are filled with an exceptional flavor that is full and complex with a sweet aftertaste. Our strain was received courtesy of the USDA National Genetic Resources Program. Indeterminate. 80 days from transplant. 50 seeds per packet.
